Return to Press Releases

Accela Announces ‘Govtech Unified’ Agenda and Speaker Lineup for Accelarate Conference and Customer Education Event in Salt Lake City

Govtech leader’s annual industry gathering will highlight the IT strategies, technologies, partnerships and innovations that are driving the future of govtech; provide attendees with actionable takeaways to implement quickly

San Ramon, Calif. (August 30, 2022) — Accela®, the trusted provider of cloud solutions for government, today announced the speaker lineup, program and Govtech Unified theme for its annual conference, Accelarate. The fully in-person event will take place from October 3-5, 2022, at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. Early-bird registration is open until August 31, 2022.

This year’s conference and customer education event highlights the unique opportunity governments have today to leverage technology, services and trusted partnerships to better connect systems, departments and communities; eliminate silos; elevate resident experiences; and empower agency staff. The three-day event will convene state and local government leaders, industry changemakers, and Accela executives and product experts, to engage in important discussions, learnings, and networking on the topics, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and solutions that are unifying and driving govtech’s influence in our communities.

“The moment for unified government has arrived, and this year’s Accelarate provides a valuable platform for state and local government leaders and staff to connect, learn from each others’ successes, and gain a deeper understanding of how Accela’s products and services can help them today and be prepared for any regulatory shifts or new constituent needs in the future,” said Heidi Lorenzen, Accela Senior Vice President of marketing. “After holding virtual events the last two years, we are eager to reunite in person in Salt Lake City, both a fantastic host city and a valued Accela customer. It’s timely for the govtech ecosystem to come together to explore ways to maximize the unique opportunity before us, and we welcome all govtech voices to the discussion.”

More than 70+ Educational Breakout Sessions

Accelarate will offer more than 70 educational breakout sessions and training led by Accela product experts, customers, and partners. The highly informative, hands-on workshops will offer an unparalleled opportunity for attendees to dig deeper into mission-critical best practices, case studies and product updates, and will feature end-to-end walkthroughs of integrations and implementations, lessons learned, and a collaborative exchange on the tools and insights to make important organizational improvements. A full schedule of all breakout sessions is available on the event website. Some highlights include:

• Successfully Moving from On-prem to the Azure Cloud
• Using Accela Mobile to Improve Field Productivity
• Going from 100% Paper to 100% Digital Plan Review for All Departments in a Single Implementation
• Best Practices for New Release Readiness
• Improving Staff Retention Through Digitalization of Plan Review
• From Ordinance to Program Launch: Taking a Holistic, People-Centered Approach to Tenant Assistance
• Environmental Health Overview: Better Protection for Residents

The Accela Experience Center will also return, offering in-person one-on-one learnings and exchanges with Accela experts from the company’s technical, UX, training, customer success, professional services, and other teams. The Accela Trendsetter Awards ceremony will close out Accelarate 2022 by recognizing innovative government agencies and individuals harnessing digital strategies to deliver excellence in their communities.

To learn more about Accelarate and register for the event, please visit this link.

What: Accelarate 2022: Govtech Unified
When: October 3-5, 2022
Where: Grand America Hotel
555 S Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

General Session Agenda of Presentations to Inform and Inspire

The event agenda features inspiring keynote presenters who will present and demonstrate positive outcomes of a unified approach. Attendees will hear from a series of executive panelists exploring topics such as how to bust departmental silos blocking community progress, how to operationalize equity priorities with technology, and how partnering with security teams can minimize agency risk.

Conference General Session Day 1 (October 4)

• Welcome | JK Knight, Accelarate emcee and Accela Chief Customer Officer
• A Model for Unified Progress | Gary Kovacs, Accela Chief Executive Officer
• Progress Through Systems Thinking | Kristen Cox, former Executive Director of the Governor’s Management & Budget Office for the State of Utah
• Silo Busters | A CIO Discussion on Govtech Unified | Dustin Haisler, Chief Innovation Officer at e.Republic; Renato Mascardo, Accela Chief Technology Officer; Microsoft; Accela customers
• Accela Product Vision for Govtech Unified | Troy Coggiola, Accela Chief Product Officer; Amber D’Ottavio, Accela Vice President of Product Management; Cathy Grossi, Accela Vice President of Product Management
• Ensuring Customer Success | New Customer Support, Training, and Accela Community Initiatives | Jack Reid, Accela Vice President of Technical Support; Brenda DeGregory, Accela Vice President of North America Professional Services; Garrick Greenhalgh, Accela Director of Community and Technical Training; Joshua Hamaker, Accela Director of Customer Success Management

Conference General Session Day 2 (October 5)

• The Art of Unifying Voices | Ryan Murphy, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square’s Associate Music Director 
• Operationalizing Equity Priorities: Tapping Tech to Create More Inclusive Communities | Heidi Lorenzen, Accela Senior Vice President of Marketing; Dana P. Moore, Chief Equity Officer and Director, Baltimore City Office of Equity and Civil Rights; Accela customers
• Unified Payment Experience for Residents and Staff | Tom Nieto, Accela Chief Operating Officer; Sukuanya Madhavan, CSG Forte’s Head of Product Management and Engineering
• Partnering with Security Programs and Teams to Improve Security Posture and Reduce Risk | Dale Wilhelm, Accela Vice President of Information Security, Compliance, and IT; Giget Schlyer, IT Services Director for the State of Michigan

Celebrating Accela Customers

This year’s customer appreciation event will celebrate the partnership and work of Accela’s customers and will be held the evening of Tuesday, October 4, at the Utah Olympic Oval. Guests will be greeted by two-time Olympic speed skating medalist Derek Parra, who will narrate a live speed skating competition and be on-hand for skating tips and photographs with attendees. The evening will also feature instruction on the popular Olympic event of curling, and all attendees will have the opportunity to don a pair of skates and get out on the ice themselves.

Sponsors

Accela appreciates the support of its Accelarate 2022 sponsors. CSG Forte is the conference title sponsor for the second consecutive year. Accelarate’s Platinum-level sponsors are Microsoft and Velosimo; Gold sponsors include Avocette, Avolve Software, Byrne Software Technologies, ePermitHub, Selectron, and Visionary Integration Professionals; Silver sponsors are CanAm, CityGovApp, RedMark, Vision33, and Vuspex; and Bronze sponsors are ACI Worldwide, ePlanSoft, ETech Consulting, Gray Quarter, and TruePoint Solutions. Attendees can connect with sponsors at Accelarate’s Partner Pavilion. If interested in exhibiting during the event, learn more from Accelarate’s sponsorship prospectus.

Accelarate builds on the company’s momentum after closing its last fiscal year with 112% in customer net retention. Accela’s solutions and expertise are trusted by 80% of America’s largest cities and more than 275 million residents and businesses across the globe.

About Accela
Accela provides a unified suite of cloud solutions trusted by governments across the globe to accelerate their digital transformation, deliver vital services, and build stronger communities. The company offers agile, purpose-built solutions and the power of a platform that provides users with a consumer-like experience, shares data across departments, and ensures world-class security.

With Accela, government agencies experience rapid and effective digital transformation. Accela’s government software meets agencies wherever they are on their modernization journey, while also helping them prepare for whatever comes next. The company is a 2021 and 2022 Microsoft US Partner Award winner for its innovative SaaS solutions to help governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and was selected by Fast Company for its World Changing Ideas Award in 2022. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com.